• The Whole Enchilada - Writing

    My First Novel Has Dropped

    Like many people who grew up reading fiction at every free moment, it’s always been a dream of mine to write novels. To be a novelist. Someone who makes shit up and puts it on paper and shares it with strangers. That impulse isn’t about fame and fortune. It’s about the love I have for a good story, and a deep desire to be part of that slice of humanity who is lucky enough to consider writing fiction an occupation. When I started writing this book, I had no idea what I was doing. (I still don’t, but at least…

  • Promotional graphic for the novel, "The Whole Enchilada features the front cover of the book. To the right, the text reads: "The stars may hold secrets, but the past holds the truth." November 1, 2025 "If you've ever wanted to get in the car and drive for 9 hours to figure out your life, this story is for you. Aliens, nostalgia, and Texas references had me the whole time."
    The Whole Enchilada - Writing

    Novel Update – June 2025

    It’s been almost a year since my last update on The Novel and many, many things have happened since then – including me traveling to Japan and breaking my foot (requiring surgery), and my husband’s surprise open-heart surgery. The timeline for publishing my novel was obviously effected, but the good news is… … it’s with a copywriter RIGHT NOW! After five drafts, countless hours, ten beta-readers’ feedback, and several million moments of self-doubt, the manuscript is currently being combed over by a professional copywriter. Once I get it back from her, I’ll do a final spit-polish, add a couple small…

  • The Bizniz - Writing

    It all becomes quite simple if you’re not trying to get rich and famous.

    Ever since I set about writing my first novel, I’ve been doing two things at the same time. First, I’ve been, you know… writing. Engaging in the creative process over a period of many months. Learning how to translate the pictures in my head into the written word. Improving my skills and practicing the time-honored craft of good storytelling. The other thing I’ve been up to is devoting time to figuring out how to publish my book when it’s finally finished. At one point someone suggested to me that perhaps it was best not to worry about my book being…

  • Writing

    Writing is Life, and Life is Writing

    Well, friends. It’s September. We’re on the downhill slope for 2024, which means I start looking forward to 2025 and pondering what kinds of goals I might want to accomplish next year. It usually takes a couple months of ‘back-burner’ thinking for me to come up with these goals, but right now, there’s one very bold, bright one at the top of my list: publishing my novel. I’ve spent the past year writing this thing, agonizing over it, wrestling with it, loathing it…and myself. I’ve received a ton of feedback from my writing partners, which I’ve dutifully tried to incorporate (even…

  • Writing

    Novel Update – August 2024

    Last summer, after surviving a mental health crisis and quitting a 20-year marketing career, I decided that the most reasonable course of action would be to write a novel. I’d never written one before (though I had made a couple minor attempts), and it had always been a goal. Since I was unemployed, I set about making writing my “job”. I worked for three months on one story before I decided I couldn’t keep going. It’s a great idea, and I may revisit it in the future, but it was too emotionally heavy for where I was at the time.…

  • Writing - Zen

    Escaping Creative Samsara

    If you’re familiar at all with Buddhism, you’ve no doubt encountered the concept of Samsara. Basically, it’s life, as we experience it, over endless cycles of rebirth. According to Buddhist teachings, we are trapped here, living in these ‘realms’ of existence until after many lifetimes of dedication and practice, we are able to reach Nirvana – true liberation. There are six realms within the cycle of Samsara, and they exist on a wheel, meaning that we don’t travel through them in a linear fashion toward a goal. Heaven and Hell are both part of Samsara and not attached to western…

  • Writing

    I have no idea what the hell I’m even doing… and it’s great

    I’m known for doing things that I have no business doing. This goes beyond ‘liking a challenge’ and actually borders on folly. Ergo, I’ve decided (at the age of 50) that it’s time to write my first novel. I always knew I was going to write novels… someday. Like many aspiring authors, I was obsessed with reading in my youth and I wrote often, though always privately, sharing with maybe one or two people. I didn’t have relationships with adults who taught me how to value my creativity and pursue it with discipline and rigor. If I’d been mentored early,…